Reason
by Neffie Graham
Summary: Everybody has a reason for living. This is what Kurapika is always telling himself, but when he meets Leorio, a selfless doctor helping people for free, he begins to question everything he thought he knew. Can a doctor save a broken boy from himself? AU, Leopika. T for swearing and mild sexual themes.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hello! This is my first Hunter x Hunter fic, and even though I feel like I've gotten Kurapika's personality down, I'm still a bit hesitant on Leorio. So he may seem a bit OOC here, but I promise that as this story progresses, I will try to find his personality in my words. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter! Don't forget to review, please.**

**I do not own Hunter x Hunter.**

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><p>Everyday, as Leorio Paladiknight walks back to his home after a long day at the hospital, he goes through the slums in case anybody needs help. And everyday, he sees the same young man, with near-shoulder length blond hair and a blue robe, staring at him. Multiple times, Leorio has attempted to approach him, and multiple times, the man disappears. And so the young doctor learned to accept the fact that he will always be there, silently watching him.<p>

Everyday, Kurapika Kurta sees the same man in scrubs walk through the slums, helping the sick for nothing more than a smile and a 'thank you'. And everyday, he wants to ask him to help his best friend, Pairo. But he argues with himself- nothing can help him, or nobody can be that selfless, and eventually turns away, avoiding the doctor when he tried to talk with him. Until one day.

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><p>"Hey, kid! Watch where the fuck you're going, brat," a tall, rough man with a strange hairstyle yelled in a dark haired boy's face, holding him up by the collar of his maroon robe. The victim kept apologizing frantically, hoping to escape, but the man kept getting angrier. Leorio was passing through, doing his daily rounds, when he saw the exchange. To his surprise, he saw the same blond that was always watching him trying to pull the boy away.<p>

"Put Pairo down, you scum! He's blind, he couldn't see you!" He was getting very worked up, Leorio noticed. They must be very close to each other. The blond kept reaching, but came short, due to his height (or lack thereof).

Deciding he'd had enough, Leorio stepped forward, gently moving the blond man to the side. "Hey, now, stop that!" He grabbed the boy from the man keeping him captive with ease- despite being a doctor, he was well toned, and fairly muscular. After rescuing the boy, the doctor pushed the bully against the brick wall of the building they were in front of. He was about to beat the living hell out of him, when he felt a gentle hand on his arm. Turning questioningly to the source, he found the young man beside him, his features simultaneously calm, but also betraying a fiery rage.

"I can handle this man by myself. There is no need for you to interfere, Doctor." His dark gray eyes gleamed, and Leorio swore that if this had been an action anime, his irises would have been red with fury.

Leorio backed off, sensing that there was something dangerous about this man when he was this angry. He watched in apprehension as he whispered something into the bully's ear, making him tense in fear. The blonde man backed away, staring after the bully as he ran for his life.

Leorio shuddered at the thought of what had just transpired, and quickly turned to the slightly younger boy whom they had rescued. "Hey, kid, are you alright? Do you need any medical attention?" Seeing the maroon clad boy flinch in surprise at the sudden words, he recalled the blond mentioning that... Pairo, that was it, was blind. He approached him, as the blonde one watched warily.

This wasn't the first time that Pairo had been bullied due to being blind. Kurapika had seen it frequently, and each time, his hatred towards others grew stronger and stronger. Pairo was now one of the only people he trusted and cared for. But now this doctor, who could have just as easily turned a blind eye to the ordeal, had come in to help. If Kurapika hadn't stopped him, he even looked ready to kill that punk. He eyed the doctor with interest, watching as he checked over Pairo, making sure he had no injuries.

Kurapika quietly walked towards the two, startling the doctor, who hadn't heard him approaching. "Thank you for helping him. My name is... Kurapika." He bowed in greeting and gratitude to the doctor.

The bespectacled man in scrubs quickly smiled, and stood. "It's nice to meet you, Kurapika. I am Dr. Paladiknight, but most call me by my first name, Leorio. And there's no need to thank me. I've always done this, it's nothing special, really." At this, he opened his briefcase, and handed Kurapika a small white card. "This has my home address on it. If you and Pairo ever need any help, for any reason, please do not hesitate to drop by and ask. I may not be home, but just leave a note on the front door." Leorio gathered up his belongings, and headed further into the slums, continuing his daily tradition.

Kurapika stared after him, eyes wide in shock. Nobody had ever been that kind- even his own family, besides Pairo- and he wasn't used to it. But something told him that what he just saw was only a professional act, that if he were to visit him during the day, he would find somebody deeper than just a kind doctor. Somebody with a story, a family, and a reason. Everybody has a reason for living, just not everybody has found it yet. Kurapika knew this for a fact, and he had yet to be proven wrong. After all, if nobody had a reason to keep moving forward, we would all still be at the starting line. And while being a doctor and helping others for free would be an admirable reason, Kurapika knew it wasn't Leorio's.

And he wanted to figure out just what it was.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey! wow! I literally cannot believe that I actually had the time and the inspiration to write this. Sorry to everyone who was waiting for a second chapter! I hope you enjoy this one. I feel like my descriptions got better in this chapter, haha. Well, here it is. Read, review, enjoy!**

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_It's amazing,_ Leorio thought as he once more went through the slums on his way home, looking around at each suffering face attempt to keep smiling, _how those who have nothing can support and share as if they had everything._ He was intensely aware of Kurapika's presence following him, his blue robe fluttering in alleys, and whisking around corners, wherever he went. He hadn't had a chance to talk to him since the incident with the bully, but he hoped that he could. There was something about the coldly calm man that drew him in, made him wonder what secrets he was hiding.

He hadn't yet approached Kurapika yet, as he was immensely busy during this time of year- flu season. He was helping the less fortunate in every way that he could, accepting nothing but a smile in return. And that made him happy. Sometimes, he even considered staying in the area for a few nights, but he knew that nobody would have a room available, and he didn't want to trouble anybody. So he continued doing as much as he could, giving medicine when needed, providing support and care when requested.

Kurapika continued to follow the young doctor, hiding around corners when he turned. He was still gathering the courage to talk to him once more- which was strange. He should not be afraid to talk to a simple doctor, and one very near to his age at that. But the brightness of his smile scared him, pushed him away until he could not see it anymore. And by the time that Kurapika had adjusted to its light, it was far too late. The doctor was home, and Kurapika was a coward. He sometimes stared at the business card given to him that evening three weeks ago, its crisp edges now marred, slight tears disturbing its professional appearance. But he still did not approach Dr. Paladiknight, still did not allow himself to be approached by him.

The air was cold, the frigid wind sharply numbing the senses of the people huddling on the roadside. The fortunate few who had found shelter were still not much better off, the cold seeping in through the paper thin walls and entering into their core. December is a hard time for those in the slums. Leorio felt like crying as he watched these people, and made a mental note to buy blankets for tomorrow.

The color of the world was gray, dirt and ash mixing in with the white of snow, and the only other life in the area was in a blue robe, splotched with stains of crimson, fluttering in the wind as it tailed the doctor. But every time Leorio turned around, the blue was gone and the world was gray once more.

As he finally left the poorer district, Kurapika stared after him, fiddling with the small white card in his hands. The corners were folded, creased, the edges were frayed and worn down, and the stark white was smeared with dirt. But the name on it was still legible, still carried that small sense of hope that maybe things weren't as bad as he thought.

Kurapika shook his head, knowing that couldn't be true. Any hope that existed in the world existed only for the well off, for those who knew how to play by the rules, or make the rules play by them. Hope was merely a fantasy for the middle people, whom the rules sabotaged and backstabbed, a terrible companion who serves to only make you feel worse about yourself. Kurapika had no time for hope.

A sudden cry drew his attention, pulling him from his sullen reverie. He turned, whipping to stare where his blind companion had been sitting, waiting for him. All he saw was a few college kids, clearly drunk, a knife in the hands of one, and Pairo. On the ground. A snap. Pairo's cane.

He saw red.

No, not red.

Kurapika saw crimson, scarlet, staining the edges of his vision, reminiscent of blood spreading on white fabric. It was a metaphorical sight, of course, until it wasn't. Until it was a very real crimson, one of the college kids bleeding onto the ashy snow.

"Shit, shit! C'mon, Nobu! Uvo! Let's get out of here, this shit ain't worth it! He's nuts!" The boy who had received the brunt of Kurapika's rage, who looked to be the youngest of the three, pulled on the loose sleeve of the a man with long, pulled back hair, and on the arm of the tallest and oldest, who clearly spent too much time at the gym and not enough time in the lecture hall. Together they ran, the first boy texting frantically, presumably to another one of their groupies.

Screaming nothingness at the fleeing men, Kurapika didn't calm until a shaky hand grabbed his stained undershirt. Turning his gaze to his injured friend, he quickly grasped the seriousness of his wounds. His arms were criss crossed with cuts, and blood was dripping from his elbows into the snow. A growing stain, barely visible due to the similar colors of blood and his robe, spread from his stomach. "Kurapika... I'll be fine... don't worry about me, 'kay?"

"No, Pairo. Just stop talking- save your strength. I'll get help, just stay awake. Don't you dare leave me, Pairo!" The odds of his surviving without medical attention were slim to none, and only the hope for a miracle remained.

And Kurapika didn't have any time for hope. But he did have time for a chance. Thinking quickly, he whipped off his own blue few robe, and wrapped it around Pairo, providing some meager attempt to keep him warm. He pulled his friend onto his back, and pulling the white card from his small satchel that had been salvaged from scraps of spare fabric, he set off through the snow.

XXX


End file.
